Safety razor



Oct. 16,1928. 1,687,910 RENE-MAX VALABREGUE SAFETY RAZOR Filed Jan. 1925INVENTOR BEN;- 1 AK VALABREGUE by x his M: torney Patented Oct. .16,1928.

UNITED f STATES l,'687,910. PATENT OFFICE.

Ram's-Max vamnnenn, or rams, FRAN E, ASSIGNOB. To 1.1: msorn norm, or

. Y rams, rmcn.

SAFETY RAZOR.

Application filed January 7, 1925, semi m. 1,600, and in Fiance Decembera, 1924.

The present invention relates to safety razors of the type comprising aholder which is provided with a toothed guard and is adapted forreceiving a thin razor blade having one or two cutting edges. The saidblade is positioned either by lugs or pins provided upon the said holderand co-operating with suitable cut-out parts of the blade, or byclamping means combined with stop pieces whereby the position of thecutting edge is pro erly adjusted with reference to the said toot edguard.

In the known types of safety razor, the blade may be placed in itsholder-with either side outward, since the upper and lower faces of thesaid blade are identical.

Each time the razor is used for shaving,

the cutting edge of the blade is upturned or bent back by reason of" theresistance ofi'e'red by the hair of the face. When the blade issharpened by honing or stropping or by these two means combined, eitherby hand or in an apparatus, this will straighten out the bent edge oredges of the blade and will bring the same into the initial position i.-e. into the plane of the blade. 7

If the blade thus 'sharpegied is disposed in its holder in the invertedposition, i. e. with the face which was previously at the top now turneddownwards and inversely, when the blade is again used for shaving, thecutting edge or edges will be again upturned or bent' and the other,precisely in order to break it..

In the case of the thin blade of a safety razor, the rupture of thecutting edge will give-this part an irregular form, and this cannot beremedied by sharpening, so that the razor blade will be put' out of usewithin a relatively short time.

Inorder to increase the life of the blade, suitable means are employedaccording to the present invention whereby the cutting edge shall alwaysbe turned back by the hair of respondingly.

that the positions of the two cuttin the face towards a given face ofthe said blade; in the following description, this face will bedesignatedas the lower face of the blade. For this purpose, the blademust be disposed in its holder with a certain face invariably turnedtowards a given side of the said holder, and in this event the an leformed by the two limiting positions of t e very thin metal forming thecutting .edge will be substantially one-half the angle corresponding tothe case in which the edge is alternately bent towards one face and theother.

This will greatl reduce the strains and the consequent har ening of themetal, and the risk of breakage of the cuttin edge will be reduced to acorresponding egree, while the life of the blade is increased cor- Inorder that the lower face of the blade shall invariably occupy the sameposition with respect to the holder, the said blade is constructed,according to the invention,'in such manner that each face will benonsymmetrical with reference to an axis of symmetry of the blade orotherwise stated, that the two faces will be unlike. The said bladesaccording to the invention, when double-edged, will be preferably madesymmetrical with respect to their centre of figure so ed es can beinverted with reference to the 'oldzr;

this latter is also constructed in such manner that the blade can onlyoccupy the proper position for securing it in the holder when the lowerface of the blade is turned towards a given-side of the holder which hasbeen determined in advance.

- In one embodiment of the invention, the

razor blades have formed therein suitable perforations or notches whichhave the nonsymmetrical position relatively to any axis of symmetry ofthe blade, whilst the holder is provided with studs whose shape and disposition correspond to those of the said out out parts in the blade.

Should the razor blades be already formed with the usual cut outportions (perforations or 'notches) for use with ordinary holders, thesaid cut-out parts will be completed by further non-symmetrical cut outparts as above explained, said latter out out'parts. forming part of thesaid usual cut-out portions or being separate therefrom. In thls mannerthe improved blades according to the invention can be disposed in theknown types of holder which are not provided with the non-symmetricalpositioning lugs or pins, as well as in the improved holders which areprovided with the latter.

The constructional arrangements whereby the object of the said inventionis attained,

i. e. the prevention of inverting the blade with respect to its holder,may be completed by the use of suitable characters provided upon theblades in order that one face may be readily distinguished from theother.

The appended drawings which are given by way of example show variousembodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side View of an improved safety razor according to theinvention.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding end view on the side of the handle.

Fig. 3 shows a thin, razor blade with two curved cutting edges andprovided with nonsymmetrical notches.

Fig. 4 shows a thin razor blade with two curved cutting edges andprovided with nonsymmetrical perforations.

Fig. 5 shows a thin razor blade with two curved cutting edges andprovided with nonsymmetrical notches which enable the said blade to beemployed with a holder having symmetrical positioning pins. 30 t Fig. 6shows a thin razor blade with two straight cutting ed es and providedwith non-symmetrical per orations.

Fig. 7 shows a. thin razor blade with two straight cutting edges andnon-symmetrical perforations, these latter comprising symmetricalportions enabling the said blade to be employed with a hoider havingsymmetrical positioning pins.

Fig. 8 shows a thin razor blade comprising a single straight cuttingedge and having a lateral notch, and

Fig. 9 is a corresponding side view.

In Figs. 3 to 8 the studs engaging in the cut out parts of the bladesare shown in hatched lines for the sake of clearness.

The safety razor of the known type which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2comprises in the usual manner a handle 1, a comb shaped guard plate 2which is optionally integral with the said handle, and a cap or backing3; the latter is provided with an axial screwthreaded shank, not shown,which is screwed into the said handle. The razor blade 4, shown in Fig.3, is clamped between the said guard and the backing.

At each side of the said backing is provided a stud 5 or 6 co-operatingwith a recess or notch in the said guard in order that these two memberswill be correctly matched. The said razor blade is apertured at thecentre, at 7, for the insertion of the said shank of the backing, and issuitably notched at the edges to co-operate with the studs 5 and 6.

It is observed in Figs. 1 to 3 that the said studs are not disposed uponthe backing 3,

about with its faces in inverted positions and that when placing theblade in the holder, the user will be obliged to dispose the lower faceof the blade in contact with the backing.

The studs 5 and 6 are symmetrically disposed relatively to the axis ofthe razor, and the notches in the blade 4 have a like position withrespect to the geometrical centre of the said blade; so that the saidblade can be given a 180 rotation on its centre and in the same plane,whereby the position of the cutting edges will be inverted in relationto thebackmg.

Fig. 4 shows in the same manner as Fig. 3 a thin razor blade with twocurved cutting edges, the said blade 8 has therein two perforationswhich in this example are supposed to be circular and in which areengaged the round positioning pins 9 and 10 of a suitable safety razorholder which is suitably constructed to this effect. The saidperforations serve the same purpose as the notches in the blade 4indicated in the preceding figures, and arein like manner symmetricalwith respect to the centre of figure of the blade.

Fig. 5 is a modification of Fig. 3 in which the razor blade 11 comprisestwo notches 12 and 13 which are non-symmetrical with reference to anyaxis of symmetry of the blade but are symmetrical with reference to thecentre of figure of the said blade. The said notches comprise portionswhich are symmetrical with respect to the transverse axis wy of the saidblade, so that the blade may be disposed in the holder of a known typeof safety razor comprising symmetrical positioning pins 14 and 15.

Figs. 6 and 7 relate to the respective thin razor blades 16 and 19having two straight cutting edges. The blade 16 has thereinnonsymmetrical perforations for the insertion of the studs 17, 18 whichare likewise non-symmetrical with reference to the razor holder. Theblade 19 has perforations which are also non-symmetrical but compriseportions which are symmetrical relatively to the transverse axis z-t ofthe said blade, and due to the said symmetrical portions the blade canbe mounted in a safety razor holder of a. known type comprisingsymmetrical positioning pins. In Fig. 7, the numerals 20 and 21 indicate the non-symmetrical studs of the improved safety razor holderaccording to the invention.

The blade 22, Figs. 8 and 9, which is mounted in its support 23 has buta single cutting edge; a'notch is formed on one side adjacent thecutting edge, said notch being adapted for the insertion of the stud 24of the improved safety razor holder. The said blade may withoutinconvenience be employed with the holder of a safety razor of the usualtype.

Obviously, the said invention is not limited to the constructional formshereinbefore'decribed and illustrated in the drawings, these being givensolely by way of example.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a safety razor, the combination with a holder having two axes ofsymmetry at right angle to each other and positioning studsasymmetrically arranged with regard to said axes, of a blade havingcorresponding asymmetrical cut-out portions cooperating with saidstudsand also symmetrical cutout portions.

2. In a safety razor the combination of a holder, the flat bladeengaging surface of which has two axes of symmetry at right anglestoteach other, said holder having positioning studs asymmetricallydisposed thereon with respect to said axis, a blade having correspondingaxes of symmetry at right angles to each other and having correspondingapertures asymmetrically located with respect to the blade axes andadapted to cooperate with said studs, said blade apertures being soasymmetrically disposed that the corresponding axes of symmetry of -heblade and holder Wlll coincide with each other only when one given faceof the blade engages the face of the holder.

' 3. In a safety razor according to claim 2, said blade also havingsymmetrically ar ranged cut out portions one adjacent to each of saidasymmetrically disposed apertures and communicating therewith.

4. In a safety razor according to claim 2, said blade apertures being ofnon-circular form such that the blade can only be placed in position onthe said asymmetrically disposed studs with a certain predetermined facethereof in contact with the holder, it being impossible to register theapertures with the said studs with the blade inverted.

5. In a safety razor according to claim 2 said blade apertures having nocommon axis of symmetr In testimony whereof I have signed my name tothis specification.

RENE-MAX VALABREGUE.

